To celebrate the bicentennial, the PMA opened the stunning exhibition, "Three Centuries of American Art," on April 11, 1976. On display were 550 objects from the Philadelphia area including paintings, prints, sculptures, photographs, costumes, decorative arts, and architecture. Arranged chronologically in 50-year periods, the installation was designed by Venturi and Rauch, a Philadelphia architectural firm. The exhibition was organized by the Curator of American Art, Darrel Sewell, and was funded largely by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Atlantic Richfield Foundation, and the Provident National Bank. The records are largely comprised of lender files. Also included are administrative and planning files that include budget reports, program proposals, and photographs. The bulk of the records date from 1975 to 1976.